Needing to Prove Himself, Pena Will Play With Injury

Catcher Angel Pena, trying to win the hearts and minds of Dodger management, said Thursday he would play the final weeks of the season despite a torn ligament in his left thumb.

Pena said he had played with a sore thumb for two months at triple-A Albuquerque. He said he did not ask for an MRI exam until last week, when the pain became intolerable after one swing. The MRI, taken Wednesday, revealed the torn ligament.

Dodger physician Frank Jobe said Pena could play so long as he can tolerate the pain, with the hope the injury could heal itself. If it does not, Jobe said, off-season surgery could be required, which might jeopardize Pena’s availability next season.

Pena, the Dodgers’ minor league player of the year in 1998, disappointed the team with a poor work ethic last season and reported overweight to spring training this season. He is out of options, so the Dodgers must keep him on the major league roster next spring or risk losing him on waivers.

“I had my chance last year, and I let down a little bit,” Pena said. “If they give me the chance again, I’ll give them 100%--no, 110%--every day.”

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A Chicago circuit court judge Thursday quashed subpoenas for Dodger players and coaches to testify Sept. 18 in a criminal proceeding in connection with the May 16 melee in the stands at Wrigley Field.

The attorney for Charles Carlin of Des Plaines, Ill., one of three men charged with disorderly conduct after the brawl, sought testimony in the misdemeanor case from pitchers Terry Adams, Darren Dreifort, Mike Fetters, Eric Gagne, Onan Masaoka, Alan Mills (now with the Baltimore Orioles), Antonio Osuna, Chan Ho Park and Carlos Perez; outfielders Geronimo Berroa, Shawn Green, F.P. Santangelo and Gary Sheffield; catchers Todd Hundley and Chad Kreuter; first baseman Eric Karros; and coaches Rick Dempsey, Glenn Hoffman and John Shelby.

Dodger attorney Mike Abernathy successfully argued that it was not necessary for players and coaches to testify in the case. Carlin must be acquitted in criminal court to pursue civil litigation, Abernathy said.

An attorney representing Ronald Camacho of Chicago, also charged with disorderly conduct, has filed a lawsuit against the Dodgers and Cubs and several players.

In addition to Dempsey, Green, Hoffman, Kreuter and Sheffield, Camacho’s attorney also subpoenaed Manager Davey Johnson and General Manager Kevin Malone.

Abernathy said he plans to argue that the Dodgers should not have to testify in that case either. The next hearing for Camacho is scheduled in October.

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Left-hander Carlos Perez got good news Thursday, when doctors were able to remove a bone spur from his pitching shoulder in an arthroscopic procedure. Since doctors did not need to cut open his shoulder, Perez is expected to be ready for spring training. Perez, guaranteed $7.5 million next season, went 5-8 with a 5.56 earned-run average this season.

By removing the spur, and the small bone from which it broke off, Jobe said Perez should have a greater range of motion and could have increased velocity.

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Utility player Jim Leyritz will be limited to pinch-hitting for the rest of the season. An MRI Thursday

revealed a torn rotator cuff in his right (throwing) shoulder, and Leyritz is slated for surgery after the season.

TONIGHT

DODGERS’

DARREN DREIFORT

(11-8, 4.53 ERA)

vs.

ROCKIES’

PEDRO ASTACIO

(12-9, 5.35 ERA)

Dodger Stadium, 7

Radio--KXTA (1150), KWKW (1330)

* Update--Dreifort beat Astacio last Sunday, when the Dodgers won, 12-1, at Coors Field. The Dodgers bombed Astacio for six runs in 1 1/3 innings, while Dreifort held the Rockies to one run in five innings.

* Tickets--(323) 224-1448.